Professor Marco Ruffini

O'SHARE aims at designing and demonstrating an SDN-based dynamic control and management platform for broadband access networks to enable efficient sharing of physical resources among multiple Network Operators and Service Providers. The main issue behind the sluggish deployment of high-speed and ubiquitous fibre access infrastructure is the long payback period. Besides the high upfront cost, the issue is exacerbated by the fact that many operators are considering Fibre-to-the-Home as a residential-only solution, which can only generate a small amount of revenue. In O'SHARE we aim at developing an SDN- based access network control framework that will enable convergence of multiple operators and services over the same physical infrastructure, thus increasing the revenue generated by the access network. This is achieved through two main innovations: open-access oriented interfaces, which will simplify network access by multiple network operators and service providers; and algorithms and techniques to virtualise Passive Optical Networks, leading to a more efficient exploitation of system resources. The theoretical work carried out in O'SHARE will be first tested through simulations and then implemented into a hardware testbed, which will lead up to an international demonstrator showcasing industry-led networking scenarios. O'SHARE will create the basis for an information-led society without digital divide.

DISCUS will analyse, design, and demonstrate a complete end-to-end architecture and technologies for an economically viable, energy efficient and environmentally sustainable future-proof optical network. It will provide a revolution in communications networks applicable across Europe and the wider world exploiting to the full the opportunity offered by LR-PONS and flat optical core networks to produce a simplified and evolvable architecture which will be the foundation for communications for the long term future. The architecture will be ultra energy efficient, simple to operate, robust to new technology introduction and providing universal availability of bandwidth and features regardless of geographic location. This ideal is obtained by a clean-slate approach to the architectural design by universal application of optical technologies throughout the fixed network eliminating traditional demarcations of metro, regional, core and access. Thus our essential concept is to use advanced optical technologies throughout giving rise to economies of scale and allowing bandwidths and flexibility hitherto unimaginable. Specifically the DISCUS architecture will: scale gracefully and economically, over a common physical infrastructure, as FTTP drives bandwidth growth by three orders of magnitude or more. It will evolve from today's architectures, adopting future technologies while co-existing with earlier generations. A unique feature will be a "Principle of Equivalence" whereby all network access points have equal bandwidth and service capability including core bandwidths (10Gb/s to 100+Gb/s) delivered to the access edge. It will seamlessly integrate wireless and fixed optical networks, fully exploiting both technologies. It will enable a competitive and simple regulatory environment controlled by customers and users rather than network operators and service providers.

Next generation transparent optical datacentres